From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Watts, James D. "J. D."
(born: April 1871)*James D. Watts and Jim Watts may be the same person, but since this has not been definitively determined, entries have been created for both names.
James D. Watts was a middleweight boxer who fought out of Louisville, KY, during the early period of his boxing career. He also fought as a welterweight. Watts fought under the names J. D. Watts and James Watts. As a boxing promoter and instructor, he was referred to as Prof J. D. Watts in the newspapers.
James Watts had been a boxing instructor at the Louisville Pasttime Athletic Club and served as a trainer for other fighters. In July of 1895, he was one of the three trainers in Joe Sherrer's corner at Gilman's Point. Sherrer was fighting against boxer Charles Slusher. The fight ended in a tie. No one got paid because the fight manager and the backers were nowhere to be found when the bout was over.
One of James D. Watts early boxing matches took place in February of 1895 against Tom Lansing. Watts won the bout after twelve rounds at Riverside Park in Louisville. There were about 200 attendees who had paid $5 each. In March of 1896, Watts fought Pleas Hutchinson in Hot Springs, AR. Hutchinson was given the win by decision due to a foul by Watts. The decision was contested but was not reversed. In June of 1896, Watts defeated Ed Walls in a fight outside the Louisville city limits. In May of 1897, it was announced in The Boston Daily Globe that J. D. Watts and Joe Walcott's fight had ended in a draw. In other fights, Watts had knocked out Joe Dunfee, and won against Pete Peterson in Chicago.
In 1900, J. D. Watts was enumerated twice in the U.S. Census, once in Louisville with his family, and once in Cincinnati, OH, where he was renting a room and was enumerated as a prizefighter. J. D. Watts was living in South Bend, IN, in 1913, when Dr. James Jones, a dentist, stole Watts' gold teeth from his mouth, then disappeared. Watts searched for the man for months, eventually finding him in Chicago, IL. When Watts saw Jones on the street, Watts chased him down on foot, caught him, and turned the dentist over to the police. The case went to court in Hammond, IN. There were several other victims with the same complaint against Dr. James Jones.
It was about 1908 when Watts was first referred to as "Prof. J. D. Watts" in The Marion Daily Mirror. The name was used even more in 1914 when Watts was billed as a former fighter who was promoting boxing exhibitions in South Bend, Culver, Indianapolis, and Gary, IN, and Niles, MI. The promotions had not gone well in Gary, and The Lake County Times newspaper published articles about the exhibition boxers being paid in fried chicken rather than money. In March of 1914, Prof. J. D. Watts had his last exhibition in Gary, IN. There were said to be about 300 boxing fans in Turner Hall for the final fights.
Prof. J. D. Watts left Gary, IN, for Michigan City, IN, but did not stick around. He moved on to Niles, MI, where he again was promoting exhibition fights. Watts also claimed to be a wrestler and was looking for any takers. He had been promoting fights for twelve years. In April of 1914, Watts was manager of the Athletic and Musical Show to take place on April 23, 1914, at the Niles Opera House. Prof. J. D. Watts was one of the exhibition boxers. He was scheduled to go six rounds with Ira Teeters. Winning boxers in the battle royale were to receive a chicken. On the night of the big show, it was soon realized that Prof. J. D. Watts was a no-show; he had skipped out of town. Ex-Alderman F. D. Cook took charge and a few boxing exhibitions took place. Prof. J. D. Watts' absence was news in the Indiana and Michigan newspapers.
Nothing more is known about James D. Watts' boxing and promotions careers. His wife, Ida Watts, is enumerated as a widow in the 1940 U.S. Census. J. D. Watt's death date and death location are not known at this time. His wife and children are enumerated as living in Chicago in the 1910 through 1950 U.S. Census records. James D. Watts may have been born in Kirksville, though Richmond, KY is given as his birth location, as stated on his son Herman's World War I Draft Registration Card in Ancestry.
In some sources, James Watts is referred to as the "Pendennis Pet." The name comes from the Pendennis Club for whites in Louisville, where James D. Watts is said to have worked as a waiter. Knowing that Watts was a good boxer, members of the Pendennis Club had been Watts' backers in local fights during the early part of his career.
James D. Watts was the son of Mollie Watts. His mother was enumerated as living with James Watts' family in the 1900 U.S. Census. James D. Watts was the husband of Ida Kelley Watts; the couple was married in Louisville on June 18, 1894. A copy of their marriage certificate is available in Ancestry.
Sources:
"Pendennis waiter married." The Courier-Journal, 06/19/1894, p.5; "Watts the victor," The Courier-Journal, 02/26/1895, p.7; "Passed the Hat: purse for the Slusher-Sherrer fight missing," The Courier-Journal, 07/15/1895, p.6; "Chief of Police Taylor ...," Louisville Courier-Journal, 4/3/1896, p. 5; "Watts and Hutchinson," The Courier-Journal, 2/18/1896, p. 6; "Colored welter-weight sports." The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 03/06/1896, p.2; "A New welter aspiration," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 03/06/1896, p.5; "Pugilist Watts returns," The Courier-Journal, 03/06/1896, p.5; "Watts won," The Courier-Journal, 06/19/1896, p.6; "Peterson all but out," The Boston Daily Globe, 05/25/1897, p.4; "Watts and Frew are matched," The Richmond Climax, 01/05/1898, p.3; "The Members of Manager O'Day's ...," The Marion Daily Mirror, 04/10/1908, p.8; "Alleges dentist stole his teeth," The Brownstown Banner, 9/17/1913, front page; Money no attraction," The Lake County Times, 02/25/1914, p.6; "The "Prof" quits his job cold," The Lake County Times, 03/12/1914, p.8; "Prof. Watts looking for more talent." Niles Daily Star, 04/08/1914, p.2; "Athletic and musical show," Niles Daily Star, 04/09/1914, front page; "Boxing exhibition twenty-eight rounds," Niles Daily Star, 04/20/1914, front page; "Prof. Watts, ex-pugilist has blown," The Niles Daily Sun, 04/23/1914, front page.